- A
Use VPC Service Controls to prevent data exfiltration.
Why wrong: VPC Service Controls prevent data exfiltration but do not restrict resource creation location.
- B
Set IAM conditions on all resources to allow only US regions.
Why wrong: IAM conditions cannot restrict resource creation location.
- C
Configure an organization policy with gcp.resourceLocations as part of the Assured Workloads configuration.
Assured Workloads can enforce location constraints via organization policies.
- D
Use Cloud DLP to scan and block data leaving the US.
Why wrong: Cloud DLP is for data inspection, not residency enforcement.
Question 35 of 985
PCSE Ensuring Data Protection Practice Question
This PCSE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring data protection. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses Assured Workloads to meet FedRAMP High compliance in the US. They need to ensure that data cannot be moved outside the US region. Which control should they use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure an organization policy with gcp.resourceLocations as part of the Assured Workloads configuration.
Option C is correct because Assured Workloads enforces compliance boundaries through organization policies, and the `gcp.resourceLocations` constraint specifically restricts where Google Cloud resources can be created. By configuring this policy as part of the Assured Workloads configuration, you ensure that all resources are provisioned only within the US region, preventing data from being stored or processed outside that boundary. This directly meets the FedRAMP High requirement to keep data within the US.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use VPC Service Controls to prevent data exfiltration.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Service Controls prevent data exfiltration but do not restrict resource creation location.
- ✗
Set IAM conditions on all resources to allow only US regions.
Why it's wrong here
IAM conditions cannot restrict resource creation location.
- ✓
Configure an organization policy with gcp.resourceLocations as part of the Assured Workloads configuration.
Why this is correct
Assured Workloads can enforce location constraints via organization policies.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Use Cloud DLP to scan and block data leaving the US.
Why it's wrong here
Cloud DLP is for data inspection, not residency enforcement.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse data exfiltration controls (like VPC Service Controls) with data residency controls (like organization policy constraints), leading them to choose a tool that prevents data from leaving a network rather than one that restricts where resources can be physically located.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `gcp.resourceLocations` organization policy constraint uses a list of allowed locations (e.g., `us-central1`, `us-east1`) and is enforced at the project or folder level via the `constraints/gcp.resourceLocations` boolean condition. Under the hood, this policy is evaluated at resource creation time by the Resource Manager, and any attempt to create a resource outside the allowed locations is denied with a `403` error. In a real-world scenario, if an administrator tries to deploy a Cloud Storage bucket in `europe-west1`, the policy will block the operation even if the user has full IAM permissions, ensuring strict compliance with FedRAMP High data residency requirements.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Ensuring Data Protection — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCSE question test?
Ensuring Data Protection — This question tests Ensuring Data Protection — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure an organization policy with gcp.resourceLocations as part of the Assured Workloads configuration. — Option C is correct because Assured Workloads enforces compliance boundaries through organization policies, and the `gcp.resourceLocations` constraint specifically restricts where Google Cloud resources can be created. By configuring this policy as part of the Assured Workloads configuration, you ensure that all resources are provisioned only within the US region, preventing data from being stored or processed outside that boundary. This directly meets the FedRAMP High requirement to keep data within the US.
What should I do if I get this PCSE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCSE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCSE exam.
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